Laodecia
Laodecia, while not a large nation, is among the most powerful from a military standpoint. Population The population of Laodecia is around 100,000, with a powerful standing army of 6000 at all times. Military and State Laodecia is a military state, governed by the Mercenary Lord. He is the commander of the military and the general population. Life is not easy in Laodecia by any stretch of the imagination. The country's entire focus is on the support of the military, and to that end, slaves--and even common folk--all work to support the army. The country is split into there different regions, the Military region, the Argicultural region, and the the Labor region, with the Capital City at the point where the three intersect. The majority of the free population live either in the Capitol, or in the Argicultural zone. They work to supply the country with food and products derived from agriculture. The labor zone is where most of the slaves are, working in mines and forges, and building siege weaponry and small arms. The Military zone is where the Army is stationed, ready to deploy wherever the Mercenary Lord commands. Supply trains run through the capitol from the other two zones and then out to the Military. Slaves are kept here as support staff for the army. History At it's beginning, Laodecia was nothing more than a lonely city state, striving to scape out an existence in the world. It was mainy an agricultural province, and was originally called Greca. But then the Demon Wars began, and Laodecia was nearly overrun. However, they quickly organized their people into a fighting force, and after several months, drove the demons back out of their country. Emboldened by their vicotory, the people of Greca, led by a former farmer named Laodeci, formed their first fighting force, and called them selves the Laodeci Army, after their commander. After arming themselves and establishing a chain of command, they ventrued out of their country, and fighting against the attacking demons. As the war wore on, their skill and efficiancy in battle was honed, and they became renowned for thier prowess. After Porus and the nords swept away the greater part of the Demon host, the Laodecian Army continued to drive them north. Eventually, after having driven them far from their lands, the Laodecians returned home, only to be ambushed in the night by a small band of demonic straggles. Their Commander, Laodeci, was killed in the ambush. They routed the stragglers in response, but still they returned to Greca with heavy hearts. Upon their return, they changed the name of the country to Laodecia, in honor of their fallen captain, and resolved to never again fall victim to outside counquest. They continued to build their alreay powerful army. Hundreds of years later, they marched to Mount Erebus with the host led by Mygrell, and aided in the destruction of the last of the Demon army. In the years following that, Laodecia held firm against the conquering Nords. Their powerful and well organized army securing their place in the world as a free nation. Changing Views As Time wore on however, the Laodecian ideal of freedom shifted more and more toward totalitarianism. Under the pretense of preserving freedom, more and more focus was put on maintaining a strong military, even at the expense of the personal freedom of the citizens. Slaves were made of those who couldn't pay their debts, or who had commited crimes, and they were forced to work to make weapons and armor, or to mine the raw materials required for them. The free citizens were, over time, forced to become second class citizens, taxed to the edge of starvation to support the army. The shift didn't occur all at once, but rather took hundreds of years. During that time too, the Laodecian Lord Commanders, as their leaders were called, began to see the potential of hiring their armies out as mercenaries. And thus began the long tradition of fighting other people's wars for them. The money made from this funded the continued improval of the Army, now made almost entirely of conscripts, and made the military and the government wealthy. The regular citizens on the other hand, barely see an ounce of the gold that pours into Laodecia from their foriegn exploits. Society The social structure of Laodecia favors the Military above all others. If you aren't in the Military, you work to support the Military, either as a serf or a slave. Upon reaching a certain age, all male children are conscripted into the army. Slaves and women, and any deemed unsuitable for Military service, are forced to work, either in the labor camps or the fields. Only a small percentage of the population live free, and most of them are either retired military officers and their families, or those wealthy enough to buy their way into the capitol and become merchants or officials. (This is still a work in progress, expect some changes...) Category:Laodecia